Salaries of top 10 US CEOs in a decade

Barry Diller has bagged the second position in the list of 25 best-paid executives during the past decade. Diller received roughly $1.14 billion (Rs 5,322 crore) from IAC/InterActive and Expedia.com, the online travel site IAC spun off in 2005, where he remains chairman.

Salaries of top 10 US CEOs in a decade

In the third place is Occidental Petroleum Corp's CEO Ray Irani with $857 million (Rs 4,000 crore).

Further, several of the wealthiest executives were not among the top earners. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc receives only a nominal compensation. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates stepped down as CEO in January 2000, and retired as a Microsoft employee in 2008.

Salaries of top 10 US CEOs in a decade

Number four in the list is Apple Inc's CEO Steve Jobs with $749 million (Rs 3,496 crore).

"Apple's Jobs also took a $1 annual salary throughout the decade. But he ranked fourth primarily because of a $647 million gain on restricted stock that was granted in 2003 and vested in 2006. He still holds the shares," the report noted.